Rajouri encounter | Fresh firing erupts in Jammu and Kashmir

Fresh exchange of fire in Rajouri, J&K kills 4 Army personnel, injures 2. Security forces cordoned off area to prevent terrorists from escaping. Difficult terrain & limited road connectivity pose challenge. 46 deaths in terrorism-related incidents in 3 districts since Jan.

A fresh exchange of fire took place on November 23 between terrorists and security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where four Army personnel were killed and two others were injured in an encounter, officials said.

The fresh firing resumed this morning after a night-long halt in Bajimaal area of Dharmsal belt, officials said.

The area was cordoned off overnight with the induction of additional security forces to ensure that terrorists engaged in the encounter do not escape from the area, which is highly forested, they said.

The treacherous terrain of Reasi-Rajouri-Poonch coupled with limited road connectivity is posing a difficulty in carrying out the operation, they said.

"Isolated dhoks (huts made of mud) in villages nestled in the mountains make the civilian population, particularly women and children, vulnerable to terrorists", an officer said.

The encounter broke out in Bajimaal area following a cordon-and-search operation on Wednesday. Two captains were among four security personnel killed in the encounter.

A major and another jawan suffered injuries in the encounter, they said, adding the injured have been shifted to the Army's Command Hospital in Udhampur.